Women’s hockey to play in NESCAC semifinal Saturday

03/1/2013

The women's hockey team will play Middlebury in the NESCAC semifinal game Saturday, March 2.

In a historic season on the ice, the Connecticut College women's hockey team has advanced to the semifinal round of the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Championship for just the second time.

The Camels (14-10-1) have set a program record with 14 wins. The team, ranked No. 5 in the conference, will take on top-seeded Middlebury College (17-6-2) at 1 p.m. Saturday on the Middlebury campus. Should Connecticut College win, the Camels will face either No. 2 Bowdoin College or No. 3 Amherst College for the championship Sunday, with an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship at stake.

The Camels earned splits in their two-game regular season match ups against Middlebury and Amherst.

The 23 players and their two coaches are confident going in to the weekend, bolstered by a strong camaraderie.

"My teammates and coaches are literally my 24 best friends," says Sam Schoeneberger ’13, the reigning NESCAC Player of the Week. "It's an incredible bond. We want to be around each other."

Goalie Kelsie Fralick ’15 turned aside 32 shots en route to her school record-setting sixth shutout of the season in Saturday's 1-0 quarterfinal victory at Trinity. Fralick is ranked No. 2 in the country with a .951 save percentage and is fourth in the nation with her six shutouts. She is also ranked ninth in the nation with a 1.46 save percentage.

"I've played sports my entire life, not just hockey." Fralick said. "I've never had a team where I've been able to honestly say that I love every one of my teammates. That's a very special bond and I think that's why we've done so well."

Forward Courtney Dumont ’14 has set the program's all-time goal scoring record with 39 markers to go with 22 assists for 61 points. Forward Ariel DiPasquale ’13 leads the club with 15 points (8 goals, 7 assists) while Schoeneberger ranks second on the squad with seven goals and seven assists.